Till Death Do Us Part
by The Next Marauder
Summary: James survived that fateful night at Godrics Hollow, but now that Lily is gone can he survive himself, for Harry's Sake? Joint FF, with Marauder Madness, please RR! Rated for angsty themes and some language
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing you've seen before. I also own only half of this story, my friend, Prongs, owns the other half. But if she's naughty I can get Sirius to spank her, and while she's busy I can steal the other half... 

**Dedication: **Dedicated to the airoplane that took me here to were I am now (Malaysia) because it didn't crash. here's hoping that the one that takes me home on Sunday won't crash either. I've been watching too much Lost. God I love that show...

**A/N:** OK, so this is a joint FanFic, I write one chapter, and then my friend, Prongs, writes the next one. The first chapter (this one) is mine, and the next one will be hers. You can also find this story on her profile page (link to her profile page is on my profile page).

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Pain. 

The one thing that registered in his mind was pain. His body felt as if it was on fire, and he was scared to move. James Potter was never scared; he always had courage, no matter how small of an amount it was. Lily had taught him how to do that.

Lily.

Where was she? Slowly and painfully he opened his eyes. His first instinct was to close them again and blink a few times to wake up from this dream. He was lying on his back in discarded debris, as if a fight had taken place. And then suddenly the memories swarmed back.

_He_ had come in. Voldemort. James had to admit, he had stood up against Voldemort longer than he thought he would, he had told himself he needed to give Lily and Harry more time to hide.

Lily… Harry!

He sat up and every part of his body screamed in protest. He barely registered the fires burning on one side of the room, the sofa that had been ripped to shreds and the part of the ceiling that had caved in, allowing a view of the roof on the story above. Slowly he moved forward on his knees to crouch on the ground. He ignored the exceeding pain as he began to stand up. His head pounded, and his vision swam in and out as if he was looking through an aquarium of water.

The stairs seemed a colossal obstacle, and as he lifted his leg to step up the first one, he almost lost his balance and toppled over. _No_, he thought _I have to get upstairs, I have to find them_.

A fleeting thought hit him as he painfully and slowly climbed the stairs, but he pushed it out of the way. They had to be alright. They would be. He couldn't live without them. He'd push through the door into Harry's room, and they'd be ok. A little scared and shaken up, but they'd be ok. They had to be.

Suddenly a pain hit him so hard that he thought he was going to collapse. His head felt like it was going to explode and he could feel his heart beat in his mouth as his hands reached up and held his head. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain to recede, which it did after a while. Once again he was scared, scared that the pain would come back, scared that he wouldn't be able to fight it. But as he opened his eyes and looked up the stairs he knew there was no time to be scared, he had to reach the top.

The stairs seemed to take an eternity, but they finally came to an end. He skirted a rather large burn in the carpet that was still smouldering around the edges and took small steps toward the door at the end of the hall that was slightly ajar. He couldn't suppress a shudder of foreboding that ran through his body, and despite his usual optimism he couldn't help but fear for the worst.

Painstakingly he made his way to the end of the hall and stopped at the door. Did he dare open it? A thump downstairs shook him from his thoughts, and he looked over the banister to notice one of the support beams was quite ablaze, and looked ready to collapse soon. He realised the thump had come from a piece of it, that had broken off and was now burning proudly on the entry hall floor.

James shuddered and moved back towards the door, wiping the sweat off of his face. But as his hand came away sweat was not the only thing that was on his hand. Showing brightly through the sweat and the black soot from the fires was the unmistakeable red colour of blood. James suddenly felt dizzy and he put his hand to the wall to steady himself. He stared at the door, and if the door had eyes he was sure it would be staring right back at him.

The Door.

He only had to push it open and Lily and Harry would be sitting in a corner, playing a game like normal. _But this wasn't normal_ he thought to himself. _When, in the normal world, did the most feared dark wizard knock down your door?_ James suddenly considered the fact that he should be dead. Why was he not dead? Not that he wanted to be dead, never in a million years, but surely Voldemort would have killed him, right? Maybe he was dead then, and this was just….

Just what? A game? A test?

Why would this be happening if he was dead? Why would he be in this much pain? He stopped thinking. Thinking hurt too. He wasn't going to think about it. He was going to grit his teeth and open the door.

And he did just that.

At first he couldn't see, as his vision became fuzzy but slowly everything came into focus, and the first thing he noticed was Lily.

On the floor.

Not moving.

His stomach dropped to the floor before he did, and his heart rate increased tenfold.

"Lily?" he whispered, afraid there would be no answer.

And no answer came.

He reached out and touched her arm, which was still warm. His heart glimmered in hope and he leaned forward.

"Lily?" he whispered again, shaking her slightly. She didn't respond and his heart fell slightly, but his heart rate rose. "Lily come on, we have to get up and get Harry," he whispered urgently, shaking her slightly again. A silent tear crept from his eye and slid down his face, clearing all the dirt and slightly removing some of the blood in its path. "Lily, please get up," he whispered, another tear escaping and making its way down his face.

"Lily," he choked out. "Please get up. Please. Don't do this." He wiped the tears away on one side form his face, but they were only replaced with new ones. "Lily, don't leave me. Don't leave me here without you. I don't want to leave you. Please."

The tears flowed freely now as he stared down at her beautiful face. At the face that greeted him with a smile everyday, the lips that he kissed passionately every day, the bright red hair that he played with when he became bored.

"Lily," he whispered again urgently, his entire body shaking. "I can't be here without you. Please come back, without you I'm scared. Don't leave. I love you."

His head fell down and his body was shaking as quiet sobs escaped his lips. His hands left her arm and wrapped around her body, holding her close. He would have tried to look for a pulse, but deep down he knew that it was too late.

She was gone.

He was left in this world without her, and he'd never again be whole. He'd never get to see her happy face… never get to touch her soft skin… never get to kiss her lips…

He held her tighter as he shook, daring himself to believe she'd wake up in a second, and tell him that she and Harry were safe. Harry! Regretfully he slowly let her go; tears still free flowing and looked around the room. A rush of adrenaline hit him as he recognised his son's untidy hair, that he sported himself.

He stood up and strode over, still ignoring the pain, now coming from his heart as well as everything else. If Harry was gone, so was he. As he reached his son a small amount of relief rushed over him as he watched his little chest move up and down.

Harry was alive.

He scooped up his son and held him tight to his chest. Harry was the biggest connection to Lily he had. He studied his son's face and noticed a thin lightning bolt shaped cut on his forehead, beginning at his hairline. James hugged Harry and prayed that he'd be ok.

He sat down on the ground next to Lily and kept crying. But whether from exhaustion, or by overwhelming emotion, or smoke inhalation James fell unconscious, and was found later with his wife by his side and his son in his arms.

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**A/N:** Could we hope for a review? 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Not ours, not yours and not the Weasley Twins (they come in their own category), so even if you do try and plagiarise JK Rowling's work you will be hunted down…ok maybe not like that.

**Dedication: **Dedicated to…hmm…paper and pens

**A/N: **Hey guys! Every part of this (except this Author's Note) was written by Marauder Madness. All her work here, not mine. And thanks for all your reviews! I'm trying to get MM to put this story on her page too, Hurry up Prongs!

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Difference,

That was all Sirius could feel right now, a void of something that had been lost, like a deep chasm cutting through his confused mind, but he couldn't put his finger on it as he motored through the sky on his black Harley Davidson. He cranked up the speed and drove to the address of Godric's Hollow, muttering to himself if this was some sort of premonition.

James and Sirius were like brothers, sometimes they could feel what the other was experiencing and right now Sirius had a mighty big feeling of anguish and unrelenting sadness. James had lost something or someone dear to him and Sirius was going to make sure he would be with his adopted brother in his time of need.

Sirius' thoughts turned to Peter, was he all right? Because if he wasn't it would be putting a whole family at risk. Sirius new he should trust Peter but he turned up the speed gears on his bike anyway, rocketing now towards the Potters house.

As he descended through the clouds, his eyes squinting and darting around, he finally caught sight of Godric's Hollow.

What he found would be burnt into his memory forever.

Smouldering wood walls were cracking under the pressure of the roof, a door lay destroyed and forlorn, hanging off one hinge to the entry to the once beautiful house. Lily's prized flowerbeds drooped, scolded and in complete ruin while a piece of sharp glass fell out of one of the many smashed windows.

_Oh god._

Sirius landed the bike and took everything in, never blinking just staring at the shambled house, and then he remembered – _James – Lily – Harry!_

He snapped back to reality and charged blindly into the house, ignoring the black scorch marks on the walls, torn sofa and the burning banister, those things were not important. The only thing that was is if he found the Potters alive.

Climbing the stairs seemed to take an age, his legs protested but his mind pushed through even though he was deathly afraid of what he might find at the top.

He immediately turned right, out of instinct, this was Harry's room, this was where Sirius would play with the infant day after day, annoying his father because Harry managed to say 'Paddy' before 'Prongs'.

He was afraid.

Afraid of what might be concealed behind the door. If the person who did this to the Potters could stoop so low as to try and kill an innocent child Sirius would swear he had seen everything the world had to offer.

Pushing open the door he stepped inside.

_Oh god._

What he watched now would override the images of the burning house because what Sirius saw now would never _ever _leave him.

James clutched Harry in his arms while stooped over his wife, tear stains glazing his cheeks and his face pressed into Lily's chest, a hand gripping his wife's shoulder as unconscious shuddering sobs racked his frame.

_Oh James, what has happened?_

_Please don't be dead, not dead, please! _He thought franticly, unshed tears building up in his eyes as he walked over to the three people he loved the most.

Sirius fell to his knees beside the broken family and gently pried James away from Lily. He felt James' pulse and was relieved some what to find that it was beating slowly under his shaking fingers.

He pulled Harry away from James' weakly protesting grip and was again relieved to find him breathing; at least the monster that did this didn't hurt an innocent child.

Lastly he turned to Lily, her angelic face was paler than Sirius expected and her vivid red hair was splayed around her. Sirius reached to her throat for a pulse – and found it ice cold, with no beating heart. She was gone.

Sirius felt the tears override him now; they spilled hot and furiously down his cheeks as he clutched his best friend and his wife.

_Why had this happened?_

Then it came rushing back to his brain, _Peter, _Peter did this, he sold them to Voldemort – _he killed Lily and he nearly killed James and Harry._

Rage built up, this – this _rat _was going to pay. He was going to pay with his life and Sirius would be the one to do the deed, he would avenge the shattered family that lay before him – _his family._

But he mustn't do it now. Not when they needed his help, so he took off his shoe and drew his wand and said _Portus, _the Ministry of Magic be damned, he would set up an illegal Portkey if they liked it or not.

Taking one last look around the collapsing house he grabbed the family and they were whisked away to St Mungos.

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James blearily opened his eyes, whiteness glared into his face and he realised in a rush of fierce pain that everything hurt, his arms, his legs and his head, oh how his head hurt.

To stiff to do anything else he moaned and a blurry figure made its way to the edge of his bead and placed his glasses on his nose.

"Don't worry Mr Potter, you are quite safe," said a female voice of a Healer, a touch of genuine anguish in her voice.

James groaned again, he was feeling immensely sad at the moment, and then he remembered – _Lily._

Tears filled his eyes again and he was dimly aware of the Healer looking down sadly at him and then walking out the room and quietly closing the door behind her.

James clutched the bleached covers; he was in St Mungos, _he _would be fine but not Lily. Then another thought hit him like a tidal wave – _Harry! _What would Harry be like growing up without a mother? What would happen with the family he and Lily had worked so hard to put together?

The tears flowed like rain now.

Then the second stage set in, loneliness, as he turned on his side he saw a green vase, the exact same colour as Lily's eyes, _but he would never see those eyes again, _then he saw the curtains flapping in the breeze, a vivid red shade, _like Lily's hair. _

He would never be able to run his hands through that soft hair again, never be able to tickle her on the beaten up old couch that she insisted they kept, or see her nuzzle her face into Harry's tummy that caused him to laugh out in glee.

James shook in grief; he had never felt so helpless before in his life, he had never felt so much pain and overriding guilt all at the one time.

But he would be strong for Harry; he would protect his son like nothing he had ever protected before, because they would survive together, as a family.

James bated his tears, eyes stinging he closed them as sleep took over, along with it the horrifying nightmares of Lily, on the ground – asleep but never to awake.

But just as his mind was in the last stages of shutting down he thought to himself, _if the world shatters around you, the only thing you can do is put it back together piece by piece. _

And that is what he intended to do, for Harry and for Lily and for himself.

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**A/N: **would you please be so kind as to review? 


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